Former Camden cop sentenced to nearly 4 years for conspiracy

CAMDEN — A former Camden police officer was sentenced Thursday to 46 months in prison for conspiring with fellow officers to deprive others of their civil rights, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Jason Stetser, 34, of Waterford Township, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court. He admitted he conspired with Antonio Figaro, 36, of Camden; Dan Morris, 49, of Mount Laurel; and Kevin Parry, 32, of Brooklawn, to deprive others of their due process rights and their right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From May 2007 to October 2009, while on duty as a uniformed police officer with the Camden Police Department, Stetser engaged in a conspiracy with other Camden police officers to deprive individuals of their due process rights by charging them with planted evidence; threatening certain individuals with arrest using planted evidence if they did not cooperate with law enforcement; conducting illegal searches without a search warrant or consent; stealing money during illegal searches and arrests; paying for cooperation and information with illegal drugs; failing to report found drugs and stashing them to use as planted evidence; and preparing false police reports or testifying falsely in court to conceal his actions.

“The punishment handed down today is a just response to Jason Stetser’s betrayal of his oath of office,” Fishman said. “He also betrayed the trust of those whose rights he violated, the public he was sworn to protect, and all of the honest police officers who risk everything to keep us safe.”

In addition to the prison term, Kugler sentenced Stetser to two years of supervised release.

Morris previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive others of civil rights and was sentenced Dec. 11, 2012, to eight months in prison. Parry was sentenced Oct. 10, 2012, to 20 months in prison. Figaro was convicted following a three-and-a-half week trial and was sentenced on Sept. 7, 2012, to 120 months in prison.Contact the South Jersey Times at 856-845-3300 or at news@southjerseymedia.com